In recent years the Serengeti had 100,000 visitors; in contrast the Katavi National Park in the remote and inaccessible west of Tanzania had only 383 people through the Park Gates. It is rumored that when a guest arrives at the park gates the wardens there are shocked and bewildered, so rare are tourists to this park. Here, in this park the only other people you will meet are other guests and the staff at the one [tented] lodge in the entire park. Here you have one million hectares to yourself.
I am sure you have heard and read many times about destinations being off the beaten track – this park is the personification of overused term well off the beaten track. That is for the moment; with the tourists insatiable appetite for something new, somewhere not frequented by other tourists, in this ever shrinking world, one wonders how long this park will remain remote and secret.
The thing that helps keep this park a hidden jewel is the remoteness of the park. To drive to this park is an endurance test in the extreme. Departing from Aruhsa, or Dar es Salaam, involves a three to five day, spine breaking and brave drive in a robust 4 x 4. Alternatively to hire a...